Nestled within a quiet, tree-lined enclave in Pune, The Enfold is a compact urban home that responds thoughtfully to its surroundings. The design team began with a simple rectilinear mass and shaped it around the mature tree on the site. They also considered the possibility of future construction on the adjacent plots. This approach allows the home to remain closely connected to its context while adapting to the changing urban landscape.
The Enfold Creates a Double-Height Heart Within a Compact Pune Home | Studio Biosis
The architecture embraces its context with a sculptural envelope—featuring deliberate projections and recesses that accommodate the tree’s canopy while creating a buffer for privacy. This approach generates an inward-focused layout that feels expansive and filled with light, despite the constrained footprint of the Enfold.
A narrow, low-ceilinged entry opens into a tall, double-height living volume that forms the heart of the house. Oriented northward, this central space connects to a veranda that draws in daylight and air, softening the threshold between inside and outside.
The open kitchen and dining area in the Enfold flow seamlessly from the living space. The bedroom sits in the southwest corner, providing seclusion and climatic comfort.
The staircase becomes a spatial device, introducing contrast and rhythm to the vertical movement. One landing opens to a skylight, bathing the space in natural light; another remains enclosed, offering moments of pause and shadow.
On the upper level, a skylit corridor links two bedrooms and a study, overlooking the living space below and framing a series of internal views.
The west-facing bedroom in the Enfold shields itself from the afternoon sun, ensuring thermal comfort. The east bedroom opens to a large seating window that captures the soft morning light. A pair of standing balconies visually connect the two rooms, creating a shared threshold for informal conversation.
The study, positioned in the northeast corner, is bathed in warm light throughout the day. A thoughtfully placed cut-out channels this light to the floor below, gently illuminating a Buddha idol in the mandir—infusing the space with a quiet, contemplative atmosphere.
In the Enfold materiality is kept minimal and tactile. The clay-red exterior echoes the hues of the tulip tree’s blossoms, while the interiors combine raw concrete ceilings, white walls, wood, and soft pastels to establish a warm and grounded palette. Flooring transitions throughout—Kota stone in public areas, Banswara marble in bedrooms, and subtle Jaisalmer highlights—define zones while maintaining continuity.
The Enfold is a quiet assertion of context-sensitive design—an example of how architecture can respond meaningfully to site conditions and everyday living, offering a composed, sunlit retreat within the evolving city.
Fact File
Designed by: Studio Biosis
Project Type: Residential Architecture Design
Project Name: The Enfold
Location: Pune
Year Built: 2024
Duration of the project: 2022-2024
Project Size: 2475.7 Sq.ft
Principal Architect: Ar. Harshad Rathod
Photograph Courtesy: Ujjwal Sannala
Firm’s Website Link: Studio Biosis
Instagram Link: Studio Biosis
Facebook Link: Studio Biosis
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